Island



(No Model.)

B. A. BRIGHT.

METHOD OF PREPARING FILLER MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE 0 CIGARS. N0.398,876.

pM/J N PETERS flnmouhu m hur. Washingon. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD A. BRIGHT, OE PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO VALTER A.PECK, TRUSTEE, OE SAME PLACE.

METHOD OF PREPARING FILLER MATERIAL FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CIGARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 398,876, dated March 5,1889.

Application filed June 2, 1888. Serial No. 275,847. N0 spcchncnza T0 aZZwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that LRICHARD A, BRIGHT, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Providence, in the State of Rhode Island, have or less atthe point end, the amount and character of such taper varying accordingto the style of the cigar. In some cigars the taper of the point isshort and abrupt; in others such taper is gradual and extends back acornsiderable distance from the point end of the cigar.

Theiuck ends of cigars, though sometimes made practically straight andof the same diameter as the body, are now very generally, and especiallyin the better class of cigars, made more or less tapering, and theamountof this taper at the tuck end also varies to inserting into themachine by building up the middle of each bunch the same as when indifferent styles of cigars. Thus the cigar is of the largest diameter atthemiddle or body section and of less diameter along the point and tucksections, the diameters of these portions gradually lessening accordingto the predetermined taper or form to be given to the point and tuck ofthe cigar, respectively. Consequently a greater quantity of tobacco,measuring transversely, is required to properly form the body-section ofthe cigar, and a less quantity to form the tapered ends.

Heretofore in the manufacture of long-filler cigars the method employedfor furnishing the required amounts of tobacco and for producing thedifferent diameters at the several 3 sections of the bunch to secure theformation of the proper taper at the pointand tuck ends of the cigar hasbeen to build up the bunch I at the body-section with short pieces, theu niformpractice being to arrange the filler leaves or cuttings in thehand in about the quantity required for a single cigar, and then tobreak off the projecting ends of the leaves I made.

By this method the proper formation of the bunch of fillers and thequantity of tobacco to be obtained in the several sections thereofdepended solely upon the feel or touch of the maker, and to properlygage the required amounts of tobacco at the different port-ions of thebunch to enable a cigar having the desired tapering point and tuck to bemade therefrom, and especially to secure uniformity in the formation ofsuccessive bunches, so that the cigars made therefrom would correspondin shape and style, great skill and long practice were required. lurthermore, by this method each bunch of fillers requires to beseparatelyprepared and gaged, not only at its middle, but at its ends,and it has been impossible to prepare the fillers in quantity. Even whenit has been attempted to make long-filler cigars by machinery it hasbeen necessary to practically gage the fillers bunch by bunchpreparatory the bunches were to be made into cigars by hand, and thetime required for the operator to thus prepare and gage the bunches hasheretofore prevented the manufacture of lon gfiller cigars with profitby machinery.

The object of my invention is to enable long fillers for cigars to be soprepared that in the formation of bunches therefrom for the manufactureof cigars said bunches can be made to contain the required amount oftobacco at the several sections of the bunch with the exercise of muchless skill on the part of the maker and in much less time thanheretofore, and, further, to enable such long fillers to be prepared inquantity, so that they can be fed in mass to machinery, to be made intobunches of the proper form and shape; and my invention consists in a newmethod of preparing said long tillers, whereby such ol'ljccts areaccomplished, said method consisting, essentially, in first arrangingaquanand place them in the middle of the bunch, I

and thusfurnish that part of thebunch which is to form the bodyof thecigar with a greater quantity of tobacco than there is at the ends, theamount and character of this buildingup depending upon the style of thecigar to be iity of fillers or cuttings, either enough for a singlecigar or for any number of cigars, in substantially parallel position,and then cutting out or removing a portion of the tobacco at the end ofthe same, so that, as the result,

there will be a less quantity of tobacco at those portions of thefillers which are to form the tapering ends of the cigar than at thatportion which is to form the body of the cigar,

so that by properly varying and proportioning the amount of tobacco cutout or removed the fillers may be prepared so as to be adapted to formcigars of any desired shape or contour.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l repre- 1o sents a loose mass ofcuttings or filler-leaves suitable for use in making long-filler cigars.

Fig. 2 represents the primary parallel arrangement of the cuttings orfiller-leaves, the cut to be taken for removing the tobacco from theends of the fillers being shown by the zigzag lines. Fig. 3 representsthe prepared fillers in similar parallel arrangement and with thetobacco removed from the ends of the fillers.

In the accompanying drawings, A, Fig. 1,

represents a loose confused mass of cuttings or fillers makinglong-filler cigars-and in carrying out my improved method the cuttingsor fillers are first to be arranged approximately parallel with eachother, as shown in Fig. 2, in any convenient quantity. To prepare thefillers for the formation of the tapering point of the cigar therefrom,acut, as shown by the zigzag line b, is then made at or near the edge ofthe mass B, the purpose of such out being to remove a quantity of thetobacco at that portion of the cigar-iillers which are to form the pointend of the cigar. This cut is preferably made of tapering or zigzagform, as shown, so

3 5 that a greater quantity of tobacco will be'removed at the extremeends of the finished fillers than farther in toward the center of themass, so that, as the result of the cut,

there will be the least tobacco left at the ex- 40 treme end of thefillers, the amount of tobacco left gradually increasing toward thecenter of the mass, whereby the fillers will be better adapted forforming the tapering point of the cigars, as will be readily understoodfrom the drawings. This cut may be made by hand or by means of asuitable machine.

it will thus be seen that by properly regulating the amount and depth ofthe cut made the fillers maybe prepared so as to provide for theformation therefrom of cigars with any desired form or amountof taper atthe point.

If it be desired to prepare the fillers for cigars which are to havetapering tucks as well as tapering points, a similar cut as shown by thezigzag line a may be made to remove the required amount of tobacco atthe opposite ends of the fillers.

both cuts have been made and the surplus-tobacco removed, is shown inFig. 3, which rep- 3 6o resents the fillers prepared for the formation 1such as are usually employed for The mass of fillers, after of cigarswith both tapering points and-tapering tucks, the fillers as representedbeing of substantially the length of a cigar.

To make cigars by hand from these prepared fillers, the workman has onlyto take from the mass a quantity of fillers sufficient to form a bunchof the proper size at the bodysection or place of greatest diameter, andto properly gage the size of the bunch at the said body-section, byreason of the fact that the proper proportions of tobacco have beenpreviously removed at the ends of the fillers, and a cigarof the properform and taper can be immediately made from such fillers without thenecessity of building up the middle or of gaging the form or diameter ofthe point and tuck ends of the cigar. It isevident that by the use ofsuch prepared fillers much less skill will be requiredto properly form acigar therefrom, and consequently a cheaper grade of help canbe'employed to advantage.

The primary arrangement of thefillers in parallel position is a verysimple -matter,,and as by the employment of a properly-formed cutter therequired cuts can be speedily made the cost of manufacturing long-fillercigars by hand can be very much reduced andjat the same time muchgreater uniformity can be secured.

Fillers prepared as above described are also adapted to be fedautomatically in mass to a cigar-bunching machine, and inasmuch as thefillers can be prepared by the method herein described at a smallfraction of the cost of arranging fillers to be fed into a machine bythe methods heretofore employed, the use of such prepared fillers makespossible the profitable manufacture of long-filler cigars by machinery.

I do not in this application claim the improved filler material forcigars as herein described, the same having been described and claimedby me in my pending application, Serial No. 283,134.

I claim as my invention- The method of preparing a mass of cigar-.fillers, which consists in first arranging a quantion of tobacco in itsdifferent parts to form cigars of the required shape or taper. v

RICHARD A. BRIGHT.

Vitnesses:

S. SCHOLFIELD, H. S. BABCOCK.

